


Fresh Ice

by justaphage (DancingDragon42)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Family Feels, First time skating, Kid Fic, M/M, Nostalgia, i don't know what happened, there were a lot of cute kids at the rink when I went over break?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 12:16:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9384659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DancingDragon42/pseuds/justaphage
Summary: A lot of times he felt like that too; that their daughter's childhood was speeding by before their eyes. But he’d also been looking forward to this day since they first brought Mailys home, probably even before that, if he was being honest.Jack and Bitty's daughter is ready for her first time out on the ice





	

**Author's Note:**

> Over winter break, I went skating and there were cute children. Then, this happened. Thanks to [ SecretGeniusShittyKnight ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/augopher/pseuds/SecretGeniusShittyKnight) for the quick beta.

“I think this is the year,” Jack said, reaching out to run his finger over the laces on a tiny skate. 

“What’s that honey?” Bitty turned from where he was picking out a new set of skate guards for himself.

“I think we should get Lys skates for Christmas this year.”

“Oh?” Bitty considered the children’s skates in front of him, but Jack could tell his husband wasn’t seeing cute tiny shoes, but rather dangerous blades to strap on their daughter’s feet. “Isn’t she a little young? I’d swear she just learned to walk last week.”

“Aw, I know it feels that way Bits, but that was over three years ago now.” He chuckled, pulled Bitty into his chest, and rested his cheek against his soft blond hair. A lot of times he felt like that too; that their daughter’s childhood was speeding by before their eyes. But he’d also been looking forward to this day since they first brought Mailys home, probably even before that if he was being honest. “Besides, if we don’t give them to her, my dad’s going to lose patience and send them for her birthday anyway.”

“Ugh, you’re right,” Bitty grumbled, pressing his forehead into Jack’s sternum, “You Canadians are all crazy.”

“Bitty, you started skating when you were five.” 

“Yes five! A whole year older than Lys is now!” He pulled back out of Jack’s embrace, his voice rising a bit towards hysterical.

“Hey, hey, Bits,” Jack soothed, “We’ll all be careful okay. That’s part of why I want her to start at my parents house, too many people to collide with at a public rink, too much press at the arena.”

“Sweetheart.” Bitty caught Jack’s hands and stood on tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his mouth. “I know you’re always looking out for her, and I _know_ she wants to skate with us. It’s just hard to let go sometimes. I keep seeing that tiny baby we worked so hard to bring home, and I want to protect her from everything.”

“That’s cause you’re a good dad, Bits. But….” He trailed off pointedly and nudged Bitty with his elbow.

“I know, I know, being a good parent also means encouraging them to try new things…” He let out a long-suffering sigh. “You’re right; it’s time.”

“Great!” Jack tossed an arm around Bitty’s shoulder and turned them both so they were facing the shelf of tiny skates. “Now for the hard part: figure or hockey skates?”

_/_/\\_\\_

“Okay, just a couple more here.” His papa announced, picking his way through discarded wrapping paper and bows. “I wonder who they’re for…..”

“ME!” Lys shouted, bouncing in on the couch between Jack and Bitty. 

“Hmmm, I don’t know,” he said, falsely skeptical, and held out the box so Lys could see tag on it. “What does it say there—To... ”

“Lys! That’s me, Pépé! Open please!” She reached her tiny hands for the bow, but it was pulled back out of her reach.

“ _Attends_. You have to see who it’s from so you can thank them.”

“Santa! Oh thank you Santa” Lys exclaimed in the general direction of the fireplace, as if Santa Claus was hiding just up the chimney to hear her reaction. Chuckling, he handed the package over just as her bouncing was starting to jostle her parents. She had the paper off in record time and only paused a moment to figure out how the box inside opened.

“Careful, now,” Bitty cautioned gently as she lifted the lid. They all knew full well that this was _the box._ Bitty also knew there were skate guards on them, but things could shift in transit. 

There was a terrible moment as the skates came into view where Lys didn’t react, and Jack’s heart sank. Of course he loved his daughter no matter what. But this was something he shared deeply with both his father and his husband, and that the whole family joined in on occasion. He wanted desperately for her to share it too.

A split-second later it was clear she’d merely been stunned to silence and he needn’t have worried. Everyone in the room jolted as Lys let out an ear-piercing squeal of delight. Her exclamations became so jumbled that only years of practice deciphering Lys-speak told him she was talking about the skates.

Jack relaxed into the couch, trying to catch Bitty’s eye over their daughter’s back. When he did notice, he gave Jack that wonderful smile shared between parents who knew they’d done right for their kid. Jack leaned over to steal a quick kiss, but instead his husband quickly disappeared forward when Lys pulled off her slippers and attempted to put her skates on right there.

“Not in the house, sweetheart” Bitty said, gently pulling Lys’s slippers back onto her feet.

“We’ll go out to the pond very soon, but you’ve still got one more gift to open!” Jack redirected her before she could get upset about being made to wait.

“This one says its from Daddy,” Alicia said and handed the final gift over.

As Lys tore through the paper, Bitty looked over at him and mouthed ‘ _I didn’t get her anything else’_ in confusion. Jack quirked his eyebrow and smiled knowingly, getting a scowl in response. 

“Papa’s hockey hat! Can I wear it on the pond today, puh-leeeease?” Lys started up her excited bouncing again

“Of course baby. Gotta keep your head safe, just like Papa’s. Now why don’t you let me get that out of the box while you go put your outside clothes on so we can all skate.”

“Yes!” Lys practically shoved the helmet into Bitty’s hands, launched herself off the couch, and took off down the hall towards the door.

His father followed quickly after, looking nearly as excited as the four year old about getting on the ice. “You boys go get your skates and we’ll meet you outside,” his maman said warmly and disappeared down the hall as well. 

As soon as they were alone, Bitty swatted Jack on the shoulder and asked, “Did you get this for her from me, ‘cause I was worried?” His tone was offended, but he was smiling down at the tiny helmet in his lap.

“You know I worry too.” With Lys gone, Jack shifted into the space she’d left behind and wrapped his arm around Bitty. “Figured she’s be more likely to wear it if it meant dressing up like the team.”

“Mmm, yeah. She loves her jersey,” Bitty agreed, tucking his head onto Jack’s shoulder with a contented sigh. 

Quiet time to themselves like this was rare. His parents helped out constantly while they were here, but Lys had been extra energetic in anticipation of Christmas. So, he let himself enjoy having Bitty warm against his side for a minute before he said, “Labeling it as from you was a _tiny_ bit of a chirp.”

_/_/\\_\\_

Wrapped up in her ski pants, bright green parka and fluffy mittens, with the falconer’s helmet plopped on her head, it was hard to imagine that Lys would be able to move, let alone skate. Still, it was quite adorable to watch her totter out to the pond between his parents. Smiling, Jack raised his camera to grab a few shots. 

Through the narrowed scope of the viewfinder, he could have almost been watching his own childhood. This was where it all started. There had been a time in his life where he’d blamed hockey and his parents for everything that went wrong, but he’d accepted now that his anxiety was something he would always have needed to deal with. In reality, hockey, and this moment with his parents, had put him on the road to everything good in his life: Bitty, a career he loved, and their wonderful daughter. He let the camera drop around his neck and made his way through the snow to meet them at the shore of the lake. By the time he got there, Lys was already sitting surprisingly patiently on the bench while her grandpa laced up her first skate, so Jack dropped down beside her and got to work on his own.

According to maman, papa had put in the pond-side bench and the platform it sat on before they’d even finished unpacking when they bought the house. Papa usually countered with the excuse that it had needed to be done before the ground froze, or they would have missed the whole winter. To which maman almost always replied, “Yes, God forbid you sit your NHL-playing ass on a folding chair, or *gasp* _the ground_ to put on your skates.” This would then devolve into a series of chirps about the size and or monetary worth of his papa’s backside.

It was the sort of thing that drove him nuts as a teenager, but made him smile and hold his husband closer these days. As if summoned by Jack’s thoughts, Bitty appeared next to him looking almost as bundled up as Mailys. 

“How can you possibly be comfortable outside in just that? It’s freezing!” He asked, giving Jack’s fleece and toque a once over. The words were slightly muffled by the way Bitty had his head tucked down to warm his nose in his scarf.

It was adorable, and Jack didn’t bother to suppress the urge to pull Bitty into a hug instead of chirping back. Bitty let out a shocked little yelp, but came easily enough. Though, maybe that had more to do with stealing warmth from Jack than the sentimentality that had prompted it. 

“Looks like we’re all ready here. Jack, Honey, why don’t you give the camera to me so I can get her first steps on the ice?”

“Thanks, Maman” he said and pulled the strap over his head to hand it over.

No matter how long he skated, that moment of stepping out onto the ice—one foot planted solidly and the other just waiting to slide out the moment he shifted his weight—always felt precarious. The sensation was oddly enhanced by the absence of the boards he was so used to during the season.

But then, both blades were on, and he moved smooth as ever. There was an urge, deep down in him, to take off at full speed and relearn every bump of his true home rink. That was for another time, though.

Today, his husband stood beside him at the edge of the ice and together they stretched out their hands to their daughter on the shore. Lys, wobbling but determined, clutched their hands took that first step for herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on tumblr [@justaphage](justaphage.tumblr.com).


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